Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-10-21
what Justification is win read you the

the Supreme Ruler and Judge, who Is ae-
countable to none and who alone knows the
manner in which the ends Of His universal
government can best be obtained, reckons
that which was done by the substitute in the
same MANNER as II 1t had been done by those
who believe In the substitute, and not on ac-
count of anything done by them, but purely
upon account Of this gracious method Of
tfeeckoning,, grants them full remission of
Now, what is justtAcationf I will tell you
What justification is is.~vben sinner believes
zoo iets him OIL; One Summer ia Connecti-
cut went to large factory. and saw over
the door written the words No Admit.
lance" entered and saw over the next
9oor " No Admittancen u OF course entered.
got inside and found It pin factory. and thew
We're making pins very serviceabie, fine and
useful pins. So the Spirit Of exclusiveness
has practically written over the outside door
OF many church Nc admittance.n And
the stranger enters be finds practically
written over the second door: "No Admit.
tance;" and IL he goes in, over all the pew
doors seems written "No Admittance, while
the minister stands in the pulpit. hammerine
out his little niceties OF belief, pounding OUT
the technicalities Of religion, making pins.
In the most practical commonsense way, and
laying aside the non-essentials and the hard
definitions Of religion, go out ON the Cod
| given mission, telling the p2op,e what they
need and when and how they can get it..
! Comparatively little effort has as yet been
made to save that large class Of persons in
cur midst called skeptics, and he who goes to
WORK mere VIII not ps building upon anornel
mans foundation There is great multi
tude OF them. They are afraid OF US and our
| churches, for the reason we don't know how
to treat them. One Of this class met Christ,
and hear with what tenderness, and pathos,
and beauty, and success Christ dealt with
inn. a1aa1N 1.=r~ Nel A6xrC LID
with all thy heart, and with al thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength
This Is the first commandment, and the SEQ
! ond Is like to this; namely, thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself There Is no
other commandment greater than this.
And the scribe, said to him: well,
master, thou hast said the truth,
him with all the heart, and all
the understanding, and all the soul, and all
the strength Is more than whole burnt offer
lngs and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw
that he answered discreetly, he said unto
him; "Thou art not far from the kingdom
of God" So skeptic was saved in one In
! terview. But few Christian people treat the
skeptic In that way. Instead of taking hold
Of him with the gentle hand Of love, we are
apt to take him with the iron pincers Of &C.
| clesiastcism.
You would not be 30 rough on that man II
you knew by what process he had lost his
| faith In Christianity. l have known men
skeptical from the fact that they grew up in
houses where religion was overdone. SUM-
day was the most awful day Of the week
They had religion driven into them with a
trip hammer. They were surfeited with
prayer meetings. They were stuffed and
ohoked with catechisns. They were often
told they were the worst boys the parents
ever knew because they liked to ride do wn
hotf, frr
Progress" Whenever father and mother
talked Of religion they drew down the corners
of their mouth and rolled I'D their eyes. II
any one thing will send boy or girl to de-
struction sooner than another that Is 1t. II I
had had such father and mother fear I
should have been an ipfidel. ee-4,
Others were trippsd up of shepticism from
being grievously wronged by some man who
protested to be Christian. They had q
partner In business who turned out to be a
hrst-class scoundrel, though a professed
Christian. Twenty years ago they had lost
all faith by what happened in an oil company
which was formed amid the petroleum ex-
citement. The company owned no land, or
II they did, there was nosign of oil produced.
But the President Of the company was a
Presbyterian elder, and the Treasurer was an
Episcopal vestryman, and one director was a
Methodist class leader, and the other direc-
tors prominent members Of Baptist and Con-
gregational churches Circulars were gotten
out telling what fabulous prospects opened be-
women who had little money to
invest, and that little their all said: II don't
know anything about this company, but so
many good men are at the head Of it that it
must be excellent, and taking stock in 1t
almost as good as joining the church" So
they bought the stock, and perhaps received
one dividend so as to keep them still, but
after while they found that the company
had reorganized and had different presi-
dent, and different treasurer, and different
directors. 1t was said, by way of explana-
tion, that other engagements or Ill health
had caused the former officers of the company
with many regrets, to resign. And all that
! the subscribers of that stock had to
show for their investment was q beauti-
fully ornamented certificate. Sometimes
that man looking over his old papers
comes across that certificate, and it is
SO suggestive that he vows he wants none OF
the religion that the presidents and trustees
and directors OF that oil company professed
OF course their rejection of religion on such
grounds was unphilosophical and unwlse.
am told that one-third of the United States
army deserts every year. and there are IL ,0JC
. court martial trials every year Ia that any
thing against the United States Government
that swore them in2 And if soldiers Of Jesus
Christ desert, is that any thing against the
Christianity which they swore to support anc
defendf How do you judge Of the currency
Of country! By counterfeit bili Oh,
you must have patience with those who have
been swindled by religious pretenders Live
In the presence Of others a frank honest
earnest Christian life, that they may be at
tracted to the same Saviour upon whom youl
hopes depend.
Remember skepticism always has some rea
son, good or bad, for existing. Goethe's ire
hgion started when the news came to Ger
many of the earthquake at Lisbon, Nov
l. 1715. That 80 900 people should have per
ished In that earthquake and in the aftel
rising OF the Tagus river so stirred bis sym
pathies that he threw up his belief in tn,
goodness OF God
Others have gone Into skepticism from
natural persistence in asking the reason why
They have been fearfully stabbed OF the in
terrogation point There are SO many thing
they cannot get explained. They canno
understand the Trinity, or how Coz
can be sovereign, and yet man
free agent Neither can !. They ray
~ don't understand why a good Got
should have let sin come into the world.
Neither do !. You say: "Why was tha
child started in life with such disadvau
; tages while others have all physical an
, mental equipment cannot tell. They g
out of church on Easter morning and say
. "That do, trine of the resurrection confounde
me- 30 1t is to me mystery beyond un
ravelment. understand all the processes b
: which men get into the dark. / know then
! all. l have travelled with burning feet thei
! blistered way. The first word that childre
learn to utter is generally papa or mamma
I think the first word | ever uttered wa
> "Why" know what 1t is to have hun
! dred midnishts pour their darkness int
one hour. Such men are not to b
: scoffed at, but helped. Turn your back upo
!. a drowning man when You have the rop
with which to pull him ashore, and let tina
2 woman in the third story Of house perish il
1 the flames when you have ladder wit
/ which to help her out and help her down
: rather than turn your back scoflingly on
a skeptic whose soul is in mora peril than ia